Chen Tang

Hi! I’m Chen, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Computer Science at UT Austin, advised by Prof. Peter Stone in the Learning Agents Research Group (LARG). Prior to this, I was a Postdoctoral Scholar in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, advised by Prof. Masayoshi Tomizuka. I led the behavior-related research activities for autonomous driving at Mechanical Systems Control (MSC) Lab. I obtained my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley and my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). I received the ASME DSCD Rising Star Awards in 2022 and was selected as an RSS Pioneer in 2023.

My research interest lies at the intersection of control, robotics, and learning. I aim to develop embodied AI agents operating in human-centered environments. To tackle this research challenge, I am dedicated to exploring principled approaches to integrate data-driven approaches (e.g., deep learning, generative models, reinforcement learning, and imitation learning) with control theory, explainable AI, and causality. My past and current research focused on applications in autonomous driving and robot navigation. My long-term research vision is to facilitate trustworthy and human-centered autonomy, aiming to expedite their integration into everyday life to yield substantial societal benefits.

I will be joining the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (CEE) at UCLA as an Assistant Professor in New Mobility! I'm recruiting PhD students for Spring 2025, Winter 2026, and Fall 2026 to work on autonomous driving and robotics. If you're interested, please feel free to reach out. I'm also looking for postdocs, master's, and undergraduate students to join my lab. For more details, please check the Prospective Students page.